From my old blog, posted December 18, 2010:

Okay, so as promised, I’ll write something about *kimchi*.   It’s like sushi. Either you love it – or you hate it, except it’s not sushi.  It’s cabbage – spicy, rotten cabbage.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Kimchi is an extremely healthy traditional fermented Korean side-dish.  Different vegetables can be used to make kimchi, like green onion, radish and cucumber, but the most common kimchi is made with napa cabbage.  It is rich in Vitamins A, B1 and B2, calcium and iron.  It also contains a lot of fibre and is low in calories.  The key ingredients in most varieties of kimchi (besides the vegetables) are red pepper flakes, salt and garlic. It can also be used in a variety of main dishes like soups and rice dishes.

The cabbage, spices and brine ferments in traditional jars – often seen outside homes.  Kimchi refrigerators are also used as a more modern way to make kimchi.

My all-time favourite kimchi is cucumber kimchi.   It is not as fermented as the cabbage kimchi, but it is awesome!  I am tempted to try and make it this weekend as it’s really easy and I don’t need a kimchi pot!!  We often get this at school too which is where I fell in love with it!  Cucumbers, green onion, onion, garlic, red pepper paste and vinegar – yummy!  It’s similar to pickles and only needs to “rest” for a day or two.   This cucumber kimchi photo is from a website – not mine! I googled “how to make cucumber kimchi” and found a website called Dr.Ben Kim.  So this is his kimchi

**Did you know:  The average Korean eats (cabbage) kimchi 3-5 times a day.  This adds up to millions of tons of kimchi consumed by South Koreans every year.  In 2010, due to early and heavy rains, as well as some typhoons, crops were destroyed which resulted in a Kimchi crisis.  Korea imported some Chinese cabbage for some relief.  Farmers sold their cabbages for 7 times the normal price.  South Korean media called it a Kimchi Chaos, as Koreans could not go without their Kimchi. **